


Something Fishy This Way Comes

by QueenRiley



Category: Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 15:28:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1121498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenRiley/pseuds/QueenRiley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Antonio is not the first Power Ranger to ever be afraid of fish. He gets some advice from an unexpected source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Fishy This Way Comes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PockySquirrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockySquirrel/gifts).



Antonio stood at the pier, his usual spot, and looked over the rail. He could feel the blood pounding through his veins and he was having a hard time breathing. There were fish down there. There were always fish down there.

 

He used to love this spot. He could fish for hours here. He never came home empty handed. But now he couldn’t even bring himself to throw his line in the water. Because of the fish. Because he was afraid of the fish.

 

He gripped the rail tightly, forcing himself to stare into the depths. Maybe if he just saw one, he could get over it. It’s just fish, right? Nothing too scary about fish. And if he kept saying that to himself, maybe one day he would believe it again.

 

“You okay?” The voice made him jump nearly out of his skin. He slammed hard against the rail and took deep, shuddering breaths. He clutched at his chest and turned around. There was a middle aged man standing behind him. He had thinning blonde hair and wrinkles at the corner of his eyes. This man spent a lot of time smiling. Antonio almost yelled that it was rude to sneak up on people, but the man had kind blue eyes that reminded him of Jayden’s, and he immediately softened.

 

“I’m fine. Thanks. Just… watching out for fish,” he mumbled.

 

“Fisherman, are you? Doesn’t it usually help to have your fishing line in the water if you’re going to catch fish?” the man asked. Antonio sighed deeply.

 

“I’m a fisherman. Or I was. But my love is lost and I can no longer fish. I’m just watching for them now. Maybe if I can just observe them, I can move on.”

 

“Afraid of fish?” The man chuckled. Antonio braced himself to chastise the man. He got enough ridicule from Kevin, thank you very much. But the man was looking at him with nothing but understanding. This man, this total stranger, KNEW. Knew what it was like.

 

“I… yes.” Antonio stuttered, the denial fading faster than he could bring it to his lips.

 

“Nothing to be ashamed of. Everybody has their fears. My partner used to be afraid of heights.” Antonio rolled his eyes.

 

“This isn’t like heights or spiders or small spaces or anything else anybody is afraid of. This is fish. Fish! I’m a fisherman! And I’m suddenly terrified of fish!” He hung his head and shook with unshed tears. He loved to fish. It had been his whole livelihood, the lifeline that kept him clinging to his father and family history. And now he didn’t even have that. 

 

“I know something of that. Let’s go talk. I think I can help,” the man said, motioning for Antonio to follow him. He wasn’t sure why, but something told him he could trust this man. Trust him with his secrets, with his life. He was drawn to follow, so he gave in to his instincts and followed. 

 

The man led him to an outdoor restaurant nearby. It was known to sell fresh fish, among other things. Antonio trembled and kept focused on his menu. He didn’t even want to see the cooked fish on plates. If anything, this was worse. This fish was about to be eaten, just as he had been when he was fish. It was all he could see, the cat coming towards him, over and over in slow motion in his mind.

 

“Antonio?” the man asked. Antonio’s head darted up so suddenly the world spun for a moment. 

 

“How do you know my name? I never told you my name.” The man chuckled.

 

“I like to keep pretty good track of the Power Rangers,” he said. Antonio just stared. Something about this man was familiar, as if they’d shared a common life, but he couldn’t place what it was. The man was too old to have been a friend of his from childhood, and too young to have been a friend of his father’s. There was nothing distinctive about him. Mousy blonde hair, thinning frame, wire rimmed glasses, soft blue eyes. He wore plain blue jeans and a plain blue shirt. His jacket had an emblem that looking like a bird… a falcon or an eagle or something, but nothing menacing or out of the ordinary there either. He was just a man and Antonio was sure he’d never seen him before.

 

“Who are you?” he asked.

 

“Just a concerned friend. I’ve been where you are. I spent most of my life afraid of fish.” Antonio blinked a few times in surprise. He’d never heard of anybody being afraid of fish before. He thought he was alone.

 

“You? How? When? What happened?” he asked. The man smiled wistfully.

 

“I was a young boy when it started. I stuck my hand in a pond to experiment with water currents and a fish bit me. It was a silly little thing, but I was very small and it manifested into a fear. I was a teenager before I was able to conquer it.” 

 

“How did you do it?” Antonio whispered. He was desperate. He couldn’t even be an effective ranger if he couldn’t get over his fear of fish.

 

“I faced my fear head on. My friends were in trouble. They needed me. Our very lives were at stake. I was the only one who could beat it… who could save them. I had no choice. It was the only way.”

 

“Oh. I tried that. It didn’t work,” Antonio sighed in frustration. He was a lost cause. This would never work.

 

“You haven’t tried the right thing. You need to start small.” The man lifted his hand in the air and motioned with his finger. Before Antonio could even question what he was doing, a waitress came by and slid two plates of sushi in front of them. She vanished as smoothly as she’d materialized; a silent waitress ninja. The man smiled at him as Antonio broke out into a cold sweat.

 

“Fish,” he whispered.

 

“You must try it. Just one bite. It’s the only way, Antonio.”

 

“I can’t do it. I can’t.” Antonio stuttered, slowly sliding his chair away from the plate of fish in front of him. It didn't even look like fish. But it smelled like fish. And he knew it had been alive and wriggling. He couldn't eat it. He just couldn't.

 

“You can! You will! You have to, Antonio. Your friends need you! They aren't a full team without their Gold Ranger. They will lose if you aren't there to help them.” The man was insistent, a fire lighting his eyes that hinted at the younger man he must have been. Antonio shook his head in fear.

 

“No! No,” he cried.

 

“You must! Think of Emily. Think of Mike. What would Ji say? They need you. Think of Jayden. You have to be there for him, Antonio. Take a bite. Eat the fish. For Jayden.” The man pushed the plate towards him and Antonio leaned towards it. For Jayden. Jayden needed him. He would do anything for Jayden, had devoted his entire life to becoming a ranger to be with Jayden. He could do this. Jayden needed him to do this.

 

Antonio picked up a piece of sushi and brought it to his mouth, but he hesitated. His hand shook. He nearly dropped it. The man stared at him anxiously. He held his eyes.

 

“For Jayden”, he said and shoved the sushi in his mouth. He screwed his eyes shut and chewed.

 

Then swallowed.

 

Then took a deep breath.

 

And smiled.

 

It was delicious! It was fish and it was tasty and it was his love and his life. Fish! How could he be afraid of something so wonderful!

 

Antonio reached down and took another piece of sushi, eating it without difficulty. He finished the plate before he knew it. The man had leaned back in his chair and was watching him with a satisfied smile plastered all over his face. All those wrinkles around his eyes crinkled in delight.

 

“It worked?” he asked. Antonio nodded enthusiastically.

 

“How can I ever thank you?” he asked as the man rose to leave. He put a hat on his head and pulled the brim down, just a little.

 

“We all need a little help sometimes. Keep fighting the good fight, Antonio. The world needs Power Rangers like you, if it is to survive.” He turned to leave and Antonio called out, nearly tipping his chair over in a hurry to stop the man.

 

“Wait! I don’t even know your name!” The man stopped and turned slightly.

 

“Billy Cranston.” Antonio knew the name, but he couldn't place it. He wanted to say something else, but he had no more words. He bowed his head in respect and when he looked up, Billy was gone, vanished into the crowd on the boardwalk.

 

“Thank you, Billy Cranston, you glorious man. Whoever you are.”


End file.
